In The Language of Things Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum, decodes the things around us: their hidden meanings, our relationship with them, how they shape our lives and why we desire them. Design is everywhere. It seduces, pleases and inspires us. It makes us part with our money. It defines who we think we are. An iPhone, an anglepoise lamp, a Picasso, a banknote, an Armani suit, a William Morris textile, a Lucky Strike packet, a spacecraft - every object tells a story. And understanding their stories offers us a whole new way of seeing the world. 'Articulate and wonderfully...

What makes the rich and powerful want to leave their mark on the world? This timely book explores the intimate relationship between buildings, power, money and politics.

This an essential tool kit for understanding the world around us. It's about our obsession with collecting, the quest for authenticity and the creation of national identities. It's about Hitchcock's film sets and why we value imperfection. It's about fashion and technology, about politics and art. "A memoir and a master class in musing on modern design...It's a collection of thoughtful, absorbing essays about many aspects of modern design, a subject nobody writes better about than Sudjic." (Evening Standard).